Injuries under Sando

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Why do you think people are so frustrated by Craigy and like to denigrate him? (even now!)

I think initially because he was under no pressure, scrutiny or analysis by the club or any SA media for his methods. He was our one-club coach, who bled for the AFC and was above all that. It started wearing thin with some fans.

 

[AFC979810]

For me personally the sports science aspect was never something I thought alot about.

A few things I'd suggest are in the mix based on what I still here people discuss:
- how he got the job
- game style relied on opposition mistakes (even at peak in 05/06)
- inability to win finals
- physically pushed players to breaking points
- frustratingly able to get the best from the hardest workers, but arguably not from the most naturally talented
- poor expectation management
- inability to be flexible
- saying things fans struggled to connect with e.g. Goody was our best captain ever; 30+ guys going to improve, what toughness is etc.
- never actually learning from something

I think those are some excuses people give as to why the don't like him, but in reality the majority are sheep looking for a scapegoat for a couple of unsuccessful couple of years (2010/2011).

Unfortunately though, every coach that leaves without a flag is considered shit. Remember all the hatred for Ayres when Craigy took over? Even though he took us to two prelims - it took a good 3-4 years for people to stop lambasting him. He was (and still is) a very good coach. Every coach has their flaws - its a reason 90% of them are fired, however we have been very lucky with the quality of coaches at the AFC and have endured top 5 success across the AFL in our 21 years in the league.

People are still passionate about our slide down the ladder in 2010/2011 - so give it a few more years and when people can look back on the years 2005-2011 without bias I think Craigy will be remembered as a good coach for the AFC.

 

[Team DJ]

There's been more than one interim coach get the gig full time and I'm sure Bicks backed himself in if he finished the season strongly. You are only guessing as to the motives of why Bickley played Danger in the middle, but what we know for sure is he did.

Craig dropped Tex after the Melbourne debacle in 2011, if I remember correctly it was him and Petrenko (the sub) who were the scapegoats for that pathetic performance. Prior to that Tex had kicked 13 goals in 6 games, not bad for a young forward. Who did Craig play as the leading forward against Gold Coast? Danger. So instead of giving Tex a chance to beat up on Gold Coast he went with Danger up forward instead who went on to kick 6.

As for Rehn, you are selling him short. He was spot on with a lot of his observations, not only about Danger but also about focus on pressure acts and not the opponent and always handballing out of a contest which became predictable. Coincidentally Sando changed both.

Great for their development.
Play the gun mid as a lead up forward against the Spooners.
And play the gun forward in the magooes when he probably wouldve kicked 6.

Shouldve used that game as a praccy trial type.

 

[Team DJ]

I think those are some excuses people give as to why the don't like him, but in reality the majority are sheep looking for a scapegoat for a couple of unsuccessful couple of years (2010/2011).

Unfortunately though, every coach that leaves without a flag is considered shit. Remember all the hatred for Ayres when Craigy took over? Even though he took us to two prelims - it took a good 3-4 years for people to stop lambasting him. He was (and still is) a very good coach. Every coach has their flaws - its a reason 90% of them are fired, however we have been very lucky with the quality of coaches at the AFC and have endured top 5 success across the AFL in our 21 years in the league.

People are still passionate about our slide down the ladder in 2010/2011 - so give it a few more years and when people can look back on the years 2005-2011 without bias I think Craigy will be remembered as a good coach for the AFC.

Ayres was way better then Craigy.
Allyfibbygibbies post was spot on

 

[Elite Crow]

Great for their development.
Play the gun mid as a lead up forward against the Spooners.
And play the gun forward in the magooes when he probably wouldve kicked 6.

Shouldve used that game as a praccy trial type.

It wasn't the first time he dropped Tex when conditions would have been favourable. He was dropped for rd 20 against Brisbane on the dry deck at the Gabba. The previous two weeks we played in shitty conditions against Richmond and Western Bulldogs, and Tex had two average outings, mind you so did Tippett. The two weeks prior he was the match winner against Geelong and poor kicking stopped him having a good game against Port but he still kicked 2.

 

[Vader]

Ayres was way better then Craigy.
Allyfibbygibbies post was spot on

Allefgib listed pretty much all of Craig's faults & failures. Ayres' list is just as long, if not longer.

It's highly debatable which of those is the better (or worse) coach, given that both of them took the team to the finals on a regular basis, both making at least one preliminary final. Personally, I think Craig was the better coach because he turned our recruiting around and developed the next generation of players (which Sando inherited and took to a PF). Ayres' was abysmal at player development.

To suggest that Ayres was "way better than Craigy" is just plain rubbish.

 

[iamcorky]

Porplyzia is up and about this year saying he is 'fully fit and injury free'. Hope the bloke slots a few in the first few rounds. Get em upp

 

[Slippery Pete]

To suggest that Ayres was "way better than Craigy" is just plain rubbish.

We don't even know if Sanderson's better than either of them yet..... Now there's a scary thought.....

 

[Vader]

We don't even know if Sanderson's better than either of them yet..... Now there's a scary thought.....

Ayres survived for 5 years, Craig for 7. Over that time we came to know their strengths and weaknesses, allowing us to make judgements about them as coaches and the legacies they left behind.

Sando has been in the job for just over 12 months. We saw an immediate "spike" in performance, but we have yet to see what he manages to achieve in the longer term. How will he cope when the chips are down? Will he be able to cope with the pressures of list management, particularly given the situation Tippett-gate has left behind? It's way too early to be making judgements about him yet. For once you're absolutely right - we don't know if Sando will turn out to be better (or worse) than either Ayres or Craig.

 

[Elite Crow]

For once you're absolutely right - we don't know if Sando will turn out to be better (or worse) than either Ayres or Craig.

For once? Did you really need to chuck that in? Surely as a Mod you are supposed to set a standard around here.

 

[Slippery Pete]

For once? Did you really need to chuck that in? Surely as a Mod you are supposed to set a standard around here.

It's all good.

 

[Elite Crow]

It's all good.

For once you are absolutely wrong

 

[Slippery Pete]

For once you are absolutely wrong

It's all good fun!

 

[skoobydoo]

Ayres survived for 5 years, Craig for 7. Over that time we came to know their strengths and weaknesses, allowing us to make judgements about them as coaches and the legacies they left behind.
.

IMHO 'survived' is probably apt word for Ayres tenure. Craig had a definite shelf life but was the better coach. Ayres may have been more successful if they had taken the smudge marked mirror out of his office.

 

[Elite Crow]

It's all good fun!

As was my reply

 

[Team DJ]

Allefgib listed pretty much all of Craig's faults & failures. Ayres' list is just as long, if not longer.

It's highly debatable which of those is the better (or worse) coach, given that both of them took the team to the finals on a regular basis, both making at least one preliminary final. Personally, I think Craig was the better coach because he turned our recruiting around and developed the next generation of players (which Sando inherited and took to a PF). Ayres' was abysmal at player development.

To suggest that Ayres was "way better than Craigy" is just plain rubbish.

Youre opinion there Vade Man.
You contradicted yourself big time. Its debateable as to who is better.

Then you say, to say he was better is rubbish.

 

[cmndstab]

No, he said to say that Ayers was "way better" is rubbish. And I agree with him (though it is only an opinion).

He is saying that you might be able to argue about their respective abilities, but that at best Ayers was only slightly better than Craig. If we accept this, then it becomes nonsense to say that Ayers was definitively "way better" than Craig.

 

[Slippery Pete]

Ayres had a superior haircut.

 

[Vader]

Youre opinion there Vade Man.
You contradicted yourself big time. Its debateable as to who is better.

Then you say, to say he was better is rubbish.

How have I contradicted myself?

My personal opinion is that Craig was the better coach - but I clearly prefaced it as being my opinion, not fact. I stated that there's very little between them, hence any statement that either coach was "way better" than the other is clearly 100% unadulterated rubbish.

 

[Slippery Pete]

Ayres did coach a team to a Grand Final, so if we're going by the Olympic Medal Tally Rules of Gold, Silver and Bronze, he comes in ahead of Craig.

I'm assuming Craig had the better win/loss percentage.

It's touch and go. Gary was very poor in his last couple of years. So poor that the senior players led a revolt. That speaks volumes. He was a poor relationship manager.

 

[Vader]

Ayres did coach a team to a Grand Final, so if we're going by the Olympic Medal Tally Rules of Gold, Silver and Bronze, he comes in ahead of Craig.

I'm assuming Craig had the better win/loss percentage.

It's touch and go. Gary was very poor in his last couple of years. So poor that the senior players led a revolt. That speaks volumes. He was a poor relationship manager.

Not an Adelaide team he didn't - the team he coached to a GF (Geelong, 1995) had already been there 3 times in the previous 6 years (1989, 1992, 1994). Robert Shaw could have coached that Cats side to a GF.

Neither Shaw, nor Craig, succeeded in taking an Adelaide team to a Grand Final.

In Ayres' favour, he was the first coach to make Adelaide a regular finals participant.

 

[Slippery Pete]

Something else I've noticed, not many sacked coaches get a second chance these days if they haven't won a premiership. Gary had two really good cracks at.

Then again so did Eade and Wallace. Who else is there?

 

[Vader]

Robert Shaw

Malcolm Blight

 

[Slippery Pete]

Robert Shaw

Malcolm Blight

As I said, I didn't get much sleep last night.

 

[Vader]

More recently, a number of them have gone onto "assistant coach" or "coaching mentor" type positions, or other jobs within the various clubs. Being sacked as head coach is no longer the end of a career in the AFL industry.